Rendering in SketchUp

Other Rendering Options
There are other ways to render a model that bypass a computer’s hardware. As of this writing, 
no IRP for SketchUp takes advantage of either option discussed here with the exception of 
Shaderlight. However, this could change and would be an excellent and economical approach 
to rendering. 

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Chapter 4: How Rendering Works
Network Rendering
Most studio rendering programs can use multiple computers to produce a single rendering. 
Network rendering utilizes the processors from one or more computers linked together by a 
typical, internal computer network. These linked computers are called a render farm (Fig. 4.6). 
Fig. 4.6: 
The computer with the rendering file (green) directs the rendering through the server (orange), which is 
processed by the network of computers (gray). 
Even slow computers, when teamed together, can create a formidable array of processing. 
Major motion picture companies, professional render artists, and large offices utilize render 
farms using SRPs. 
Cloud Rendering
Cloud computing enables your software and data to be run, stored, and processed by computers 
located someplace other than your home or office. Large companies, like Google and Amazon, 
offer cloud computing services. You can store, back up, and even run applications remotely, 
taking advantage of a company’s large backbone of powerful and plentiful computers (Fig. 4.7). 
The sheer amount of processing power made available by the cloud is enormous. 
Some companies are starting to offer cloud rendering services. Users can upload their mod-
els through a web interface, and the company will generate the renderings using their own 
render farm. The end user pays for using their systems. 

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